Let's Talk About Jesus: Jesus is Lord Part Two
Colossians • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Last week we started a study in the book of Colossians titled, [Let’s Talk About Jesus]. We will continue with the subject of [Jesus is Lord].
I have had a number of people tell me throughout my life that I needed a prayer journal. I ignored their advice for a long time, but in June 2017 I started one.
At first it was a little awkward, I mean what should I put in a prayer journal? Over time it became easier and now it is one of my favorite practices.
For over two years I have various entries. These include prayer requests, maybe a dream, a concern I have, or something the Lord showed me in scripture or through another avenue.
I do not write in it everyday, but it has become a way of marking spiritual growth. I have gone back to prayer requests and wrote next to them how God answered.
I have written in the prayer journal when I have been the happiest man alive and when I couldn’t get much lower. I do not often share from it, it is private, between God and me.
But when I read through this chapter, specifically verses six and seven, I remembered something I wrote on Monday, November 11 at 12:59 pm.
I sat at my desk and looked out the window. It was cloudy and very windy. Across the road from the church are tall trees. I noticed as the wind blew hard the tree swayed back and forth.
I have seen branches move, but the entire tree rocked back and forth, but the trees never fell. Why? Because of their roots, they are strong enough to endure strong wind.
It hit me as I watched that, it was not the first time I watched the effects of a strong wind, but I felt the Lord speak:
As Christians, if our lives are firmly rooted in Him, we can endure the winds and the storms that blow our way.
Paul was no stranger to storms. His life shook with physical storms, spiritual storms, doctrinal storms, and political storms, but he stayed faithful.
While under house arrest in Rome, a friend of his, Epaphras told him of a doctrinal storm blowing in Colossian Church. They were tempted to believe false teachers concerning the position of Jesus Christ.
Therefore Paul wrote a four-part letter to a church he never visited. These people were strangers to him, but they shared a common bond, the role of Jesus Christ.
The doctrinal assault came to the church in the form of Gnosticism. As we discussed last week. These false teacher perpetuated the myth that Jesus was merely a Spirit.
The doctrinal assault came to the church in the form of Gnosticism. As we discussed last week. These false teacher perpetuated the myth that Jesus was merely a Spirit.
As these false teacher tried to divert their attention, therefore Paul refocused them on who is the most important person.
In chapters one and two he speaks of Jesus as Lord. He came to this earth, fully God and fully man. Because of how He came to earth, He alone was worth enough to save us from our sins.
The doctrinal assault came to the church in the form of Gnosticism. As we discussed last week. These false teacher perpetuated the myth that Jesus was merely a Spirit.
I find Paul’s words important and fitting for our day. We live in a time where people swing from one extreme to the next. But as followers of Christ, we should be rooted and grounded.
Because Jesus is our Lord, we identify Him as the owner and ruler of our lives! Therefore, we have benefits from Him. I want to look at three of them tonight: [Leaning on the Lord]. [Liberated by the Lord], and [Learning from the Lord].
Let’s begin
1. Leaning on the Lord
1. Leaning on the Lord
1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
I always find Paul’s writings interesting, but especially when he wrote to churches he never visited. It was bold of Paul to write to them, but He was prompted by the Lord.
Therefore, He emphasized the bond he had with them. Though the Colossians knew of Paul and he knew of them, their bond was not their mutual friends, but the fact they were both under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
As an apostle and teacher, Paul worked hard on the letter he sent. The ancient form of communication benefited more than just the recipient of the letter.
Churches would trade letters and “read each other’s mail.” Therefore, they were knit together in their mutual love for the Lord.
Though they were far from each other, nearly 1000 miles, they were close because they both leaned on the Lord. As they both leaned on the Lord, He was about to provide direction and clarity!
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
The Colossians were in the process of growing in Christ. They were not real strong in their faith and they did not yet bear fruit. Instead they were in the early stages of their spiritual development.
I have said this many times, and I will continue to repeat it, but Satan’s goal is not discouragement or disinterest, his wants destruction.
He would prefer NO ONE ever come to faith in Jesus. But when we do, he will try and attack our faith, especially when we are young in our walk with Christ.
The false teachers came and perpetuated a philosophical myth that sounded really intelligent. If they were deceived in their lie about the Lordship of Jesus Christ, they would lose their spiritual walk.
Therefore they had to lean on the Lord and let Him establish them. If they would learn from this season of life, their roots would grow deeper and they would mature in Jesus.
However, because of their shallow roots, they were about to break under the pressure of false doctrine.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
I love these two verses, they are worth underlining or highlighting. Jesus was not a spirit, but in HIM we see the fullness of God. In HIS body we see the Trinity at work.
When we trust in Jesus, we become complete in Him. Therefore we can lean on Him no matter what comes our way or what we face.
Who is thankful we can lean on the Lord. We lean on Him because of what He did on earth, being fully God and fully Man, He purchased our salvation on the cross.
Therefore when we look to Jesus, we look to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Because He is Lord we Lean on Him!
2. Liberated by the Lord
2. Liberated by the Lord
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
To make His point, Paul uses a familiar illustration. In the Old Testament, Jewish men were circumcised as a sign they belonged to God.
Now the same process happens, but it is spiritual in form. We have been liberated because of what Jesus did in the cross. We know the familiar story: He died and He rose again.
He was liberated from death at His resurrection. Paul includes us in the storyline. Because of what Jesus did, when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are included in the process.
Jesus cut the sin from our lives. When we are baptized in water we have a symbol of the liberating power of Christ. We were dead in our sins, but we are now raised from the dead by the work of God in us!
When I think of liberation, I think of the stories I have heard from Jews in Nazi Concentration Camps. Toward the end of WWII, the Allied forces liberated those who were held in bondage.
That is what Jesus did for us! Listen to Paul describe the liberation process.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
I have heard that those in the concentration camps were so malnourished they were described as walking corpses. Once they were free and recieved the proper medical treatment, over time they looked healthy and alive.
Prior to Jesus’ coming into our hearts, we were DEAD. But Jesus forgave us and now we are alive in Him. He wiped away the penalty of our sins.
Notice verse fourteen speaks of being nailed to the cross. In order to liberate us, Jesus had to die. BUT, if He was a spirit, His death was not literal.
God required blood to redeem sins. Because Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead in body, His perfect, better blood, flowed from the cross, making our sins that were scarlet white as snow.
The grip Satan had on humanity is overpowered. Jesus made them a public spectacle. Think of how Satan felt after Jesus died, he claimed victory.
But three days later He arose with power over death, hell, and the grave. We are liberated from the hold of sin, but it only works because Jesus is Lord.
Therefore we lean on Him because we are liberated by Him!
3. Learning from the Lord
3. Learning from the Lord
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
To keep people from the truth, Satan fills society with counterfeits to the gospel. In the remainder of this chapter Paul addresses three counterfeits to the truth.
Paul warns the church against believing in these dangerous teachings. How do we guard against lies? We have to know the truth.
When we know the truth of the gospel, we are wise to the tactics of the enemy, who spreads lies, one of which claims we can attain righteousness on our own.
The New Testament church had to fight against legalism. Legalism is manmade rules that we have to fulfill in order to “please Christ.” Paul dealt with many legalistic people.
Some taught the Colossians they had to watch what they ate or drank. They could not break the Law of Moses in their diet, if they did they would disappoint God.
Furthermore, they had to take celebrate the feasts and observe the old rules of Moses. Paul wanted them to learn from the Lord. Jesus came to fulfill the law, now in Him we have freedom!
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
Another false teaching the Colossians faced was Gnosticism. I have mentioned this a few times, but here they take it to a new level. They taught the Colossians to worship angels.
They diminished Christ to an angel, but Paul refuted that lie with the truth, Christ was God in bodily form. We have looked at this falsehood this week and last week, but it was serious enough for Paul to reference it one more time.
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Finally, some false teachers taught that the human spirit is good and it is trapped in a the body, which is bad. Therefore, if they would follow certain harsh rules they could one day be free.
They were taught not to touch, taste, or handle anything that might harm their spirit. They felt if they neglected the flesh and followed the self-imposed regulations they could purify themselves from evil.
Notice in these three false teachings they put their salvation in their own hands. Satan wants people to feel this way. In his mind, if we can move our salvation from God and to self we are doomed for failure.
Therefore we must LEARN from Jesus who is the great teacher. In Him is truth and the way to live. Remember what I said, if Satan cannot keep us from getting saved, he will deceive us so he can eventually destroy us.
Close:
Close:
I am thankful Paul felt prompted to write to this church of strangers. We live in a day where Paul’s words are relevant. Just like in the times of early church, we live in a day where people are rocked back and forth.
Truth and false seem to mean nothing. Therefore as people of God we have to live under HIS Lordship. He must be the center and focus of our lives.
As Lord, we gave Him the right to take ownership of us. Isn’t it great to know we can lean on Him. He never fails or falls.
We lean on Him because He liberated us from sin and in Him we have new life.
Therefore, we must make it our life’s aim to learn from Him, His word, being taught by His Spirit.
Elsewhere Paul speaks of God’s plan for causing His people to depend on the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
We live in a day where people are swayed by false doctrine. Many Christians have shallow roots because they are not growing in their relationship with the Lord.
Ephesians 4:
As a pastor, this weighs heavily on my hearth. I desire to do everything I can to help each of us grow in who Christ has us to be! I am thankful for your faithfulness to God’s house.
You do your part in coming, therefore I do my part in prayer, fasting, and preparing to teach what God has to say. I will stand before God and give an account for my faithfulness in teaching and living the word of God.
I lean on the Lord so those I lead will be able to lean on the Lord.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
Because we are liberated in Christ, we cannot walk in the darkness of our minds. We cannot choose to remain in sin, because Jesus provided an avenue to be set free!
Therefore, we must life like we are free and not choose to walk in false doctrine.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Ephesians 4:
Ephesians 4:17-
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:20-
God wants us to continue to learn from Him, putting off the old and growing closer to Him. Then as we learn from Him, He will help us put off the old, be made new, and grow into the people He wants us to become.
Lost people trust in their minds, but Christians have to have faith in a God they cannot see! When we come to Jesus, we can lean on Him because we are liberated by Him.
Christians have to have faith in a God they cannot see! When we come to Jesus, we can lean on Him because we are liberated by Him.
Lost people trust in their minds, but Christians have to have faith in a God they cannot see! When we come to Jesus, we can lean on Him because we are liberated by Him.
Let’s always remember there is room for growth. Let’s lean on Him everyday. Live in the freedom He provided for us, and learn from Him!
I am thankful Paul felt prompted to write to this church of strangers. We live in a day where Paul’s words are relevant. Just like in the times of early church, we live in a day where people are rocked back and forth.
Truth and false seem to mean nothing. Therefore as people of God we have to live under HIS Lordship. He must be the center and focus of our lives.
As Lord, we gave Him the right to take ownership of us. Isn’t it great to know we can lean on Him. He never fails or falls.
We lean on Him because He liberated us from sin and in Him we have new life.
Therefore, we must make it our life’s aim to learn from Him, His word, being taught by His Spirit.